Manufacturing employment in Binghamton and Elmira appears to have stabilized after several years of decline, indicating general improvement in regional economic conditions.

For the past three years in January, Binghamton manufacturing employment has remained steady at 11,300, while Elmira's production sector appears to have settled at 5,200, a figure it has maintained for nine months running, based on statistics compiled by the New York State Department of Labor.

"It's encouraging to see a stable floor in manufacturing," said Christian Harris, Southern Tier labor market analyst for the state.

Even achieving flat manufacturing employment trends for the two communities is an accomplishment after seeing successive years of declines in the face of growth across the balance of the nation.

Elmira has lost 1,200, or 19 percent, of its manufacturing jobs since the 2008 recession; Binghamton lost 6,500, or 37 percent, of its manufacturing jobs over the past 10 years.

How long that flat line will continue is subject to debate. Circuit board manufacturer Sanmina Corp. in Owego is closing, laying off more than 100, with the first wave of layoffs happening this week, according to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification post on the labor department Web site this week.

According to information relayed to the state, 28 Sanmina employees will be let go in a 14-day period starting March 7; another 28 will be furloughed during a two week period starting April 27; and the remaining 89 workers will be retained through the July.

"We're still to see the impact from Sanmina," Harris said.

Impacts for those layoffs, however, may be tempered by a relative abundance of manufacturing job openings in the region, Harris noted.

Tracing manufacturing job losses back further, however, paints a sector in distress locally. Since 1990, which the labor department adjusted its statistical survey, Binghamton has lost 23,300 manufacturing jobs, representing 67 percent of its manufacturing jobs.

Elmira has lost 4,000 jobs from the production sector, representing 43 percent of the 1990 total.

Ithaca remains among upstate New York standouts in private sector job growth, recording a 1.1 percent gain year over year. Binghamton recorded 0.5 percent gain, Elmira reported a 1.3 percent decline, the worst in the state.